Here are a few images out of hundreds that I took in late 2014 that will hopefully speak to the beauty and cultural diversity of this ancient city.

THE MOSQUES

The 16th century Süleymaniye Mosque, a masterpiece from the famous Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan. My lens was barely wide enough to capture this.

Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque).

Built in the 6th century, Hagia Sophia was a church, until it became the Ayasofya mosque when the Ottomans took over Istanbul in the 15th century, and finally a museum per the diktat of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1935. A great way to start a secular nation.

These are some views looking out of Ayasofya.

AND NOW, SOMETHING MORE MODERN

We took a long walk through some of the residential neighborhoods, climbed up quite a few hills and found some mildly interesting things like this. This city feels very much like San Francisco, and not just because of how hipster some of the neighborhoods (like the Galata) are.

Trying to find some good shawarma was a disappointing quest. We did find this excellent fish shop though.

Demonstrations like these were a fixture at Istiklâl Caddesi. Can’t argue with well-dressed activism.

Another shot from Topkapi Palace, the first and foremost Ottoman Palace. 

This post was originally published on Kandangath.com, then re-published on Atdaa with author's permission.